The Marin Catholic boys and Drake girls parlayed their MCAL water polo championships into high seeds for the North Coast Section high school playoffs, with Marin Catholic learning it had claimed a No. 1 seed and Drake a No. 3 seed — both in Division II — when the postseason pairings were announced Sunday.

The NCS boys soccer brackets, also released Sunday, found MCAL champion Tam earning the No. 2 seed in Division I while Bay Counties League West champion Marin Academy snagged the No. 1 seed in Division II. Redwood, Terra Linda, Marin Catholic and San Rafael are also part of the Division I field and Branson earned a Division II playoff berth.

In the water polo tournament, the Marin Catholic boys became just the second MCAL boys or girls team to earn a No. 1 seed since the NCS playoffs began in 1995, and the Wildcats (18-8) will have a first-round bye when the postseason begins Wednesday. They will open Saturday against either No. 8 San Marin (11-8) or No. 9 Piedmont (11-8) at a site and time to be determined.

The Division II boys bracket also includes No. 3 Tam (19-7) and No. 5 Redwood (15-8). The Division I boys playoff field has MCAL runner-up Drake (16-9) as its No. 7 seed.

"I knew we deserved the No. 1, we worked hard for it, and we deserved it," said Marin Catholic boys coach Peter Urmini, who credited seniors Thomas Carroll, Patrick Eggert, Daniel Castganola and Stephen Gavney for helping build the program. "We have really good athletes."

For Marin Catholic to join the 1999 Marin Catholic girls as an NCS champion — only three other MCAL programs, the 1998 Marin Catholic boys and girls teams and the 1996 Novato boys team, have reached a section championship — the Wildcats might have to get past No. 2 Alhambra or No. 3 Tam in the final. Marin Catholic also could be tested by No. 4 Northgate or No. 5 Redwood in the semifinals.

In the girls Division II bracket, Drake is joined by No. 7 Tam (19-7), No. 8 Marin Catholic (13-11) and No. 13 San Rafael (12-11). All four teams will open play Wednesday. Campolindo (23-1) and Acalanes (15-9) are the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, respectively.

In the boys soccer playoffs, Tam will be seeking its first NCS title since the Red-tailed Hawks won the 2000 NCS Class 3A crown. Tam, in the lower half of the bracket, could potentially face No. 3 Redwood (10-5-3), No. 6 Marin Catholic (14-9-2) or the two-time defending NCS champion, No. 11 Montgomery (9-10-2) in the semifinals. No. 4 Terra Linda (13-6-3) and No. 9 San Rafael (10-6-6) are on the top half of the bracket, where No. 1 seed Maria Carrillo (19-0-2) sits.

"I think the No. 2 seed made sense when it came down to it," Tam coach Dustin Nygaard said. "We played Maria Carrillo early in the year and tied them, and they've gone undefeated so it makes sense that they'd be on top there, so we're comfortable at No. 2."

Tam, which lost in the NCS title game last year as the No. 1 seed, will open against No. 15 Arcata on Wednesday. The Hawks defeated the Humboldt Del Norte League champions early this season, but Nygaard cautioned that his players can't take the opponent lightly.

"We won 3-0," Nygaard said of that meeting with Arcata. "We've got an idea about them, but everybody is 15 to 18 games deeper into the season, and you never know. I've seen some teams start off slowly and end their year well. And I know we're different than we were the first game of the season. So we're going to expect a good match."

Marin Academy (17-1-2) will open the playoffs Wednesday against No. 16 Bentley (10-7) as the Wildcats pursue their second Division II title in three years and the seventh NCS title overall in school history. Marin Academy could potentially face the defending Division II champion, No. 5 Branson (12-8-2), in the semifinals while No. 2 University — whom Marin Academy defeated in two overtimes for the BCL West crown — could be a championship game opponent.

"Happy, I don't know if I'd say that," Marin Academy coach Josh Kalkstein said after perusing the Division II seeds, which he said seemed to have many underseeded teams in the Wildcats' half of the bracket. "It's not just about what we get, but who else is out there."

Kalkstein said No. 8 Athenian, No. 4 Fort Bragg, No. 13 Head-Royce and No. 5 Branson all could be difficult opponents for his Wildcats, who are still battling to get their full roster healthy.

"The good thing is this is a very competitive group," Kalkstein said of his squad. "They've been focused all year when they're behind and the also have done a good job of keeping their concentration when they are ahead. "... I feel pretty good about the entire roster."